Sen. John McCain

The Arizona senator, who spent five-and-a-half years as a prisoner in the Vietnam War before launching a long and distinguished political career that included two presidential candidacies and one Republican nomination, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal at the 101st American Legion National Convention in Indianapolis. He was a 38-year member of American Legion Post 2 in Tempe. Accepting the award for the McCain family was Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a personal friend of McCain's.

(Photo: McCain speaking at the 2008 national convention in Phoenix, during his presidential campaign.)